The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and relevant links.

Krafla Volcano, Iceland

Seen above is the water-filled maar (explosion crater) of Stora-Viti on the slopes of Krafla volcano near Reykjahlid, Iceland. There are actually two craters named Viti in Iceland: the other one is on the Askja volcano in the island's central highlands. The Viti pictured here was blasted to life in 1724 at the beginning of the Myvatnseldar (Myvatn fires), a series of explosions, earthquakes, fires and flowing lava that lasted five years. Krafla sits atop the mid-Atlantic Ridge, one of the most geologically active spots on Earth. After a 250-year dormant period, Krafla erupted again from 1975 to 1984 (Krafla Fires"). With all this activity it comes as no surprise that Iceland, known for its extensive use of geothermal energy, has a power station on the mountain just south of the lake. Photo taken September 10, 2011.